The word 'Revolutionaries' refers to the activities of a groups
of persons who resort uprising against the existing authority
with a view to change the administration of government,
especially by violent actions. History reminds us of such
uprisings which are now referred to as American Revolution
(1775-8), the War of Independence carried on by the thirteen
American colonies against Great Britain, Chinese Revolution
(1911-12) that overthrew the authority of the Dowager Empires
and the Manchu Empire which resulted in the establishment of a
republic, English Revolution (1642-49) that brought about the
execution of Charles I leading to the establishment of a
constitution government under William III and Mary, French
Revolution (1789) that overthrew the French monarchy and
culminated in the empire of Napoleon I, Russian Revolution
(1917-22) That resulted in a provincial moderate government and
the abdication of Nicholas II, and Indian Rebellion 1857 that
Culminated in India's Independence on 15 August 1947.

The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was the result of decades of ethnic
and culture differences between Indian soldiers and their
British officers. The indifference of the British towards Indian
like Mughals and ex-Peshwas and the annexation of Oudh were
political factors that triggered dissent amongst Indians. Lord
Dalhousie's policy of annexation, the doctrine of Laps, and the
projected removal of the descendants of the Great Mughal from
the ancestral palace to Qutub, near Delhi, also angered some
people. The specific reason that triggered the rebellion was the
rumoured use of cow and pig fat in their teeth before loading
them into their rifles. Thus, the alleged introduction of cow
and pig fat offended the Hindu and Muslims alike. In February
1857, Indian soldiers in the British army refused to use their
new cartridges. In March 1857, Mangal Pandey, who attacked the
British sergeant and wounded an adjutant, was hanged on 7
April.

The revolt spread throughput northern India - in Meerut, Jhansi,
Kanpur, Lucknow, etc. The least significant battle was fought in
Gwalior on 20 June 1858 and Rani Lakshmi Bai became a martyr.
Tantya Tope, the Rani of Jhansi, Kunwar Singh, the Rajput Chief
of Jagadishpur in Bihar, Firuz Saha, a relative of the Mughal
Emperor, Bahadur Shah and others fought with Britishers at
Nasidpur, Haryana.

However, apart from a few stray incidents, the armed rebellion
against the British rulers was not organised before the
beginning of the 20th century. The revolutionary philosophies
and movement made their presence felt during the 1905 Partition
of Bengal. The initial steps to organise the revolutionaries
were taken by Aurobindo Ghosh, his brother Barin Ghosh,
Bhupendranath Dutta, etc. when they formed the Yugantar Party in
April 1906. Yugantar was created as an inner circle of the
Anushilan Samiti which was present in Bengal mainly as a
revolutionary society in the guise of a fitness club. The
leaders of Yugantar Party initiated steps on making explosions.
Anushilan Samiti and Yugantar set up several branches throughout
Bengal and other parts of India and recruited young men and
women to participate in the revolutionary activities. There were
several lootings and murders. Many revolutionaries were
captured, imprisoned and hanged. During the First World War, the
revolutionaries planned to import arms and ammunitions from
Germany and stage an armed revolution against the British. The
Ghadar Party operated from abroad and cooperated with the
revolutionaries in India.

In the 1920s, revolutionary activists began to reorganise.
Hindustan Socialist Republican Association was formed under the
leadership of Chandrasekhar Azad. Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar
Dutta threw a bomb inside the Central Legislative Assembly on 8
April 1929 protesting against the passage of the Public Safety
Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and
Rajguru were hanged in 1931. Thereafter, there were several
raids on armouries and attempts to murder.

On 13 March 1940, Udham Singh shot Michael O'Dwyer, generally
held responsible for the Amritsar massacre, in London. A number
of songs composed by patriots stirred the emotions of young men
and women to participate in the freedom movement, and indulge in
heroic deeds as well as revolutionary activities. After the
martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, a soul stirring Malayalam song rent
the air.

Which means: Come, let us march forward! We will wreak vengeance
for the sacrifice of Bhagat Singh, the inhuman murder at
Amritsar! The Tamil film kappalottiya Tamizhan, depicted the
life of patriot-revolutionary, V.O. Chhidembaram Pillai and
presented in it the inspiring lives of Mahakavi Bharati,
Subramania Sivam Vanchinathan, all of whom dedicated their lives
at the altar of the Motherland, kindled great interest to study
the life of patriots and revolutionaries. Yet the immortal song,
Vande Mataram, inspired manliness and courage in our youth to
fight against dictatorship and tyranny and fostered the spirit
of patriotism and respected for our hoary culture and heritage.
This mantra of Vande Mataram propounded by Bankim Chandra
Chatterjee burst like a bombshell invigorating the whole nation
from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and inspired the youth to sacrifice
their precious lives at the altar of the Motherland. Echoing the
voice of the revolutionaries, Sri Aruobindo said, 'Liberty is
the fruit we seek from the sacrifice to the Motherland the
goddess to whom we offer it.'

Vande Mataram glorified the Motherland as Durga, Lakshmi and
Saraswati. Every patriot from Khudiram Bose to Bhagat Singh and
Rajguru died with this mantra on his lips. It became
spontaneously the national anthem adopted by the mass of our
people.

Let the lives of all these great patriots and revolutionaries be
not cast into oblivion and let their heroic deeds be remembered
by the generations to come. This indeed is the objective of this
small book illustrating the deeds of some of the martyrs who
sacrificed their lives to gain Independence for the succeeding
generations.

In my efforts to present before you the lives and contributions
of all such persons, I have consulted a number of books from
various libraries, particularly that of Jamia Milia Islamia
University in New Delhi. I am grateful to the University
Librarian, Dr Gyas-ud-din Makdooni and his staff members for
giving me access to the books. I would like to thank Rupa & Co
for undertaking publication of the series of books on Eminent
Indians. The current book is only one part. My wife, Mrs Asha
Ahuja, also deserves my thanks for cooperating with me in my
efforts to concentrate on this project. I also received
continued encouragement from Mr Saurabh Bhagat, Dr Rahul
Malhotra, Mrs Lovelina Bhagat and Dr Chetna Malhotra among my
family members. My thanks are due to them. My thanks are also
due to various other people who helped me in one way or the
other in my endeavours.

Back of The Book

Bankim Chandra's novel Anandmath awakened Vande Mataram as an
invocation to Mother India. Following this, a galaxy of
revolutionaries triggered activities culminating in Indian
Independence.

Among the group of revolutionaries who intensified the freedom
movement were Khudi Ram Bose who took up the task of
spreading the gospel of Vande Mataram after visualising the
image of Bharat Mata; Madan Lal Dhingra whose actions
evoked the admiration and sympathy of even the Irish people;
Mangal Randey whose initiative culminated in the 1857
Rebellion; Ram Prasad Bismil Whose poem 'Sar faroshi
ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai…' inspired people to
brave through all kids of difficulties; Rash Behari Bose
whose flawless disguise and machinations contributed
significantly to the freedom movement; Bhagat Singh who
smilingly embraced death while chanting 'Bharat Mata ki
jai';Sukhdev and Shivaram Rajguru,
accomplices of Bhagat Singh, and Senapati Bapat who
participated in both the armed and unarmed struggles, pioneering
a movement for the eradication of untouchability.

This book, Eminent Indians: Revolutionaries, bring to focus the
lives, passions and contributions of the brave soldiers of
India. In this 150th anniversary of the First War of Indian
Independence, the book will serve as a repository of information
especially for the younger generation.

Recipient of Janseva Sadbhavana Award (2006) and Bharat Gaurav
Award (2007), M.L. Ahuja, M.A., DLL, DCS, is the author
of over twenty books. He is associated with book publishing as
well as distribution of books and journals. He has travelled
extensively both within and outside India and has presented a
number of papers at several national and international seminars.
He was also contributed a number of articles to journals and
books, which are mostly on publishing or marketing of book and
journals.

The word 'Revolutionaries' refers to the activities of a groups
of persons who resort uprising against the existing authority
with a view to change the administration of government,
especially by violent actions. History reminds us of such
uprisings which are now referred to as American Revolution
(1775-8), the War of Independence carried on by the thirteen
American colonies against Great Britain, Chinese Revolution
(1911-12) that overthrew the authority of the Dowager Empires
and the Manchu Empire which resulted in the establishment of a
republic, English Revolution (1642-49) that brought about the
execution of Charles I leading to the establishment of a
constitution government under William III and Mary, French
Revolution (1789) that overthrew the French monarchy and
culminated in the empire of Napoleon I, Russian Revolution
(1917-22) That resulted in a provincial moderate government and
the abdication of Nicholas II, and Indian Rebellion 1857 that
Culminated in India's Independence on 15 August 1947.

The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was the result of decades of ethnic
and culture differences between Indian soldiers and their
British officers. The indifference of the British towards Indian
like Mughals and ex-Peshwas and the annexation of Oudh were
political factors that triggered dissent amongst Indians. Lord
Dalhousie's policy of annexation, the doctrine of Laps, and the
projected removal of the descendants of the Great Mughal from
the ancestral palace to Qutub, near Delhi, also angered some
people. The specific reason that triggered the rebellion was the
rumoured use of cow and pig fat in their teeth before loading
them into their rifles. Thus, the alleged introduction of cow
and pig fat offended the Hindu and Muslims alike. In February
1857, Indian soldiers in the British army refused to use their
new cartridges. In March 1857, Mangal Pandey, who attacked the
British sergeant and wounded an adjutant, was hanged on 7
April.

The revolt spread throughput northern India - in Meerut, Jhansi,
Kanpur, Lucknow, etc. The least significant battle was fought in
Gwalior on 20 June 1858 and Rani Lakshmi Bai became a martyr.
Tantya Tope, the Rani of Jhansi, Kunwar Singh, the Rajput Chief
of Jagadishpur in Bihar, Firuz Saha, a relative of the Mughal
Emperor, Bahadur Shah and others fought with Britishers at
Nasidpur, Haryana.

However, apart from a few stray incidents, the armed rebellion
against the British rulers was not organised before the
beginning of the 20th century. The revolutionary philosophies
and movement made their presence felt during the 1905 Partition
of Bengal. The initial steps to organise the revolutionaries
were taken by Aurobindo Ghosh, his brother Barin Ghosh,
Bhupendranath Dutta, etc. when they formed the Yugantar Party in
April 1906. Yugantar was created as an inner circle of the
Anushilan Samiti which was present in Bengal mainly as a
revolutionary society in the guise of a fitness club. The
leaders of Yugantar Party initiated steps on making explosions.
Anushilan Samiti and Yugantar set up several branches throughout
Bengal and other parts of India and recruited young men and
women to participate in the revolutionary activities. There were
several lootings and murders. Many revolutionaries were
captured, imprisoned and hanged. During the First World War, the
revolutionaries planned to import arms and ammunitions from
Germany and stage an armed revolution against the British. The
Ghadar Party operated from abroad and cooperated with the
revolutionaries in India.

In the 1920s, revolutionary activists began to reorganise.
Hindustan Socialist Republican Association was formed under the
leadership of Chandrasekhar Azad. Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar
Dutta threw a bomb inside the Central Legislative Assembly on 8
April 1929 protesting against the passage of the Public Safety
Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and
Rajguru were hanged in 1931. Thereafter, there were several
raids on armouries and attempts to murder.

On 13 March 1940, Udham Singh shot Michael O'Dwyer, generally
held responsible for the Amritsar massacre, in London. A number
of songs composed by patriots stirred the emotions of young men
and women to participate in the freedom movement, and indulge in
heroic deeds as well as revolutionary activities. After the
martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, a soul stirring Malayalam song rent
the air.

Which means: Come, let us march forward! We will wreak vengeance
for the sacrifice of Bhagat Singh, the inhuman murder at
Amritsar! The Tamil film kappalottiya Tamizhan, depicted the
life of patriot-revolutionary, V.O. Chhidembaram Pillai and
presented in it the inspiring lives of Mahakavi Bharati,
Subramania Sivam Vanchinathan, all of whom dedicated their lives
at the altar of the Motherland, kindled great interest to study
the life of patriots and revolutionaries. Yet the immortal song,
Vande Mataram, inspired manliness and courage in our youth to
fight against dictatorship and tyranny and fostered the spirit
of patriotism and respected for our hoary culture and heritage.
This mantra of Vande Mataram propounded by Bankim Chandra
Chatterjee burst like a bombshell invigorating the whole nation
from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and inspired the youth to sacrifice
their precious lives at the altar of the Motherland. Echoing the
voice of the revolutionaries, Sri Aruobindo said, 'Liberty is
the fruit we seek from the sacrifice to the Motherland the
goddess to whom we offer it.'

Vande Mataram glorified the Motherland as Durga, Lakshmi and
Saraswati. Every patriot from Khudiram Bose to Bhagat Singh and
Rajguru died with this mantra on his lips. It became
spontaneously the national anthem adopted by the mass of our
people.

Let the lives of all these great patriots and revolutionaries be
not cast into oblivion and let their heroic deeds be remembered
by the generations to come. This indeed is the objective of this
small book illustrating the deeds of some of the martyrs who
sacrificed their lives to gain Independence for the succeeding
generations.

In my efforts to present before you the lives and contributions
of all such persons, I have consulted a number of books from
various libraries, particularly that of Jamia Milia Islamia
University in New Delhi. I am grateful to the University
Librarian, Dr Gyas-ud-din Makdooni and his staff members for
giving me access to the books. I would like to thank Rupa & Co
for undertaking publication of the series of books on Eminent
Indians. The current book is only one part. My wife, Mrs Asha
Ahuja, also deserves my thanks for cooperating with me in my
efforts to concentrate on this project. I also received
continued encouragement from Mr Saurabh Bhagat, Dr Rahul
Malhotra, Mrs Lovelina Bhagat and Dr Chetna Malhotra among my
family members. My thanks are due to them. My thanks are also
due to various other people who helped me in one way or the
other in my endeavours.

Back of The Book

Bankim Chandra's novel Anandmath awakened Vande Mataram as an
invocation to Mother India. Following this, a galaxy of
revolutionaries triggered activities culminating in Indian
Independence.

Among the group of revolutionaries who intensified the freedom
movement were Khudi Ram Bose who took up the task of
spreading the gospel of Vande Mataram after visualising the
image of Bharat Mata; Madan Lal Dhingra whose actions
evoked the admiration and sympathy of even the Irish people;
Mangal Randey whose initiative culminated in the 1857
Rebellion; Ram Prasad Bismil Whose poem 'Sar faroshi
ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai…' inspired people to
brave through all kids of difficulties; Rash Behari Bose
whose flawless disguise and machinations contributed
significantly to the freedom movement; Bhagat Singh who
smilingly embraced death while chanting 'Bharat Mata ki
jai';Sukhdev and Shivaram Rajguru,
accomplices of Bhagat Singh, and Senapati Bapat who
participated in both the armed and unarmed struggles, pioneering
a movement for the eradication of untouchability.

This book, Eminent Indians: Revolutionaries, bring to focus the
lives, passions and contributions of the brave soldiers of
India. In this 150th anniversary of the First War of Indian
Independence, the book will serve as a repository of information
especially for the younger generation.

Recipient of Janseva Sadbhavana Award (2006) and Bharat Gaurav
Award (2007), M.L. Ahuja, M.A., DLL, DCS, is the author
of over twenty books. He is associated with book publishing as
well as distribution of books and journals. He has travelled
extensively both within and outside India and has presented a
number of papers at several national and international seminars.
He was also contributed a number of articles to journals and
books, which are mostly on publishing or marketing of book and
journals.

Testimonials

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Om Shanthi

Florence Ambika, USA

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